FILE / STOCK
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — Fewer COVID-19 cases were reported in the Ilocos region between January 15 and 21, with 57 individuals infected with the disease, according to the regional Department of Health (DOH) on Jan. 23, Monday.
The regional DOH said that the new infections translated to an average daily case count of eight, or 44.1 percent lower than the cases logged the previous week.
Out of the 57 cases, at least one was tagged as severe and critical, the regional DOH said.
Health authorities also verified one death due to the virus during the same period.
Health facilities catering to COVID-19 patients in the region remained operating at a “safe” level, with 23 out of the 207 intensive care unit (ICU) beds set aside for suspect, probable, and confirmed cases occupied.
The DOH said that 137 of the 1,247 non-ICU beds were also occupied.
In a separate bulletin released by OCTA Research on Monday, three provinces in the region, namely Ilocos Norte, La Union, and Pangasinan, showed low COVID-19 positivity rates of less than five percent on Jan. 21 as compared with the previous week. INQ